he mid Nineties (1994 onwards) saw Dermot playing the title role in the famous sit-com Father Ted, written by Linehan and Matthews and produced by Hat Trick Productions for British TV.

It quickly acquired the status of a brilliant and delightfully different comedy.

Dermot Morgan soon became a star in the UK, being awarded Top Comedy Actor in the 1996 British Comedy Awards. The series achieved cult status along with international success, going on to win the 1996 BAFTA award for Best Comedy  

This period also marked for Dermot numerous celebrity guest appearances on British TV shows like The Clive James Show, The Late, Late Show, Have I Got News For You, Shooting Stars and Comic Relief.

Despite the great success of Father Ted and the filming of new episodes, on-the-road touring with his stand up shows was something that Dermot would not abandon, and so he carried on with his performances whenever he could fit them in. One of the more famous ones was the Black Humour Tour, sponsored by Guinness and requiring Dermot to quaff a pint whilst on stage. He wouldn't have needed much persuading to agree to that!

The last tour he did was "Addressing the Nation" in 1997, where he posed as a military dictator taking over the country. 

In addition to the above, Dermot, a gifted writer, was also working on a number of sit-com and drama series scripts for Granada and ITV, and was involved in a number of projects of a similar nature which were to follow Father Ted. He was very enthusiastic about them, and being internationally famous and acclaimed meant he wouldn't have to put up now with the likes of the past RTE-style antics.

In the end of February '98 the last scenes of the last episode of the last series of Father Ted were being filmed and Dermot was about to enter a new phase of his now brighter then ever career.

Tragically and cruelly it was not to be.

Father Ted Crilly was his final, great role, the one he will be remembered affectionately for by so many.